Concrete block



Jan. 13, 1970 TAMOTSU KUBO 3,488,964

CONCRETE BLOCK Filed Nov. 27, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 nmorsu use.

INVENTOR BY M.m PM.

ATTORNEYS Jan. 13, 1970 TAMOTSU KUBQ 3,488,964

CONCRETE BLOCK Filed Nov. 27. 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 FIG.3

TAMOTFSU KUBO INVENTOR.

BY mwmmm Jan. 13, 1970 TAMQTSU KUBO 3,488,964

CONCRETE BLOCK Filed Nov. 27, 1967 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 FIG.5

INVENTOR TAMOTsu KUBO BY \AMM. $2.1M awu,

ATTORNEYS United States Patent 3,488,964 CONCRETE BLOCK Tamotsu Kubo, Tokyo, Japan, assignor to Giken Kogyo Kabushiki Kaisha, Tokyo, Japan Filed Nov. 27, 1967, Ser. No. 685,925 Int. Cl. E02b 3/14 US. C]. 61-37 2 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE A concrete block is provided for use in a wall embankment for dissipating the waves of a body of water. The block includes a vertical parallelepiped body member having two vertical flat surfaces on opposite sides of the block and front, near, top and bottom edges. The front edge inclines forwardly from top to bottom. The top edge includes an upwardly extending projection, and thebottom edge includes an inwardly projecting recess, the recess of one block mating with the projection of another block when formed as a wall. The rear edge has two square shaped revetment members positioned to extend perpendicularly to the fiat surfaces of the body member. The two revetment members are arranged relative to each other such that their edges do not align in either the vertical or horizontal directions. These non-aligned edges of each block therefore interlock with similar nonaligned edges of blocks positioned above, below, or to either side. Upper and lower head pieces extend horizontally from the flat surfaces of the body member and have curved forward surfaces and fiat, vertical side surfaces. This construction provides a space for dissipation of waves between the body member, the upper and lower head pieces and the revetment member.

The present invention relates to a concrete block, more particularly, a concrete block for an embankment and for a revetment.

One of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide an improved concrete block for an embankment and a revetment capable of dissipating the greater part of a wave, thereby preventing destruction of an embankment and a revetment due to said wave.

Another of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide an improved concrete block for an embankment and a revetment concurrently capable of wave dissipation and revetment of an embankment.

Still another of the primary objects of the present invention is to provide an improved concrete block for an embankment and a revetment capable of decreasing the splash up capability of a wave at the surface of slope of an embankment and a revetment, and at the same time, dissipating a returning wave.

In order to achieve the aforementioned objects, the present invention comprises a block forms part of wave dissipation consisting of a vertical body member whose forward edge inclines forwardly, upper and lower head pieces whose forward surfaces project horizontally from both sides of the upper and lower ends of said vertical body member and are curved and spaced vertically, and a projection and a recess to be engaged with each other provided at the upper and lower edges of said vertical body member, and a part of revetment consisting of a "ice forward piece and a rear piece in substantially square panel forms positioned at right angles with said vertical body member at a rear edge thereof positioned in a nonaligned manner to each other in both the vertical and horizontal directions characterized by providing a space for wave dissipation among said vertical body member, upper and lower head pieces and part of revetment.

Because the concrete block according to the present invention is constituted as mentioned above, when an embankment or a revetment construction is carried out by piling up said concrete blocks, side surfaces of up and down head pieces of concrete blocks adjoining in a transverse direction contact, and at the same time, the nonaligned edges formed at the side surfaces of the parts of revetments are so engaged as to contact side surfaces of non-aligned edges of other parts of revetment, thus said concrete blocks arealigned in a transverse direction. Also, the projections of the upper edges are engaged with the recesses of the lower edges of the corresponding parts of wave dissipation of concrete blocks adjoining in an up and down direction, and at the same time, non-aligned edges formed at the upper and lower end surfaces of parts of revetment of concrete blocks interlock whereby said concrete blocks are aligned in a longitudinal direction. Therefore, said concrete blocks are piled up and by their parts of revetments each consisting of a forward piece and a rear piece, a surface of slope of an embankment or a revetment is covered and protected.

Due to the above mentioned construction there is no danger or relative displacement of the blocks in either vertical or horizontal directions due to the force of waves. Also, because contact surfaces of forward pieces and rear pieces of parts of revetment of adjoining concrete blocks covering a surface of slope of an embankment are non-aligned both vertically and horizontally, any danger that earth and sand of a revetment or an embankment will flow out to the front surface of the concrete block is eliminated.

And at piled up surface of concrete blocks concavoconvex surfaces are formed by the forwardly curved surfaces of the head pieces projected transversely from the upper and lower ends of the vertical body member whose forward surfaces incline forwardly. Waves are dissipated by these concave-convex surfaces. In addition, waves enter the spaces formed between the head pieces, the vertical body members, and the forward surfaces of the parts of revetment and a greater part of the energy of water waves is dissipated within said spaces.

Waves robbed of a greater part of its energy as such collides with the forward inclined surfaces of parts of the revetment, splashes up said surfaces. However, as mentioned above, since a greater part of its energy has been dissipated at said spaces, this splash up is remarkably decreased, and accordingly, a returning wave is decreased.

As such, the concrete block of the present invention acts concurrently for wave dissipation and revetment, and at the same time, decreases the amount of splash up of a wave, thereby enabling one to economize the height of an embankment or a revetment, by decreasing a returning wave, an artificial nourishment of a sandy beach becomes possible. According to the present invention, an embankment or a revetment can be saved from destruction due to waves, and further, because when the concrete blocks of the present invention are piled up they act concurrently for wave dissipation and revetment, the construction period is shortened and the construction cost can be economized.

Other advantages and characteristics held as novel of the present invention will become clear from description of an embodiment to be mentioned hereafter.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view showing one embodiment of the concrete block according to the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a side elevation of said concrete block.

FIG. 3 is a plan view of said concrete block.

FIG. 4 is a bottom view of said concrete block.

FIGS. 5 and 6 are a partial side elevation and a plan view showing a state wherein said concrete blocks are piled up.

In the drawings, FIGS. 1-4 show one embodiment of the concrete block according to the present invention, wherein 10 is a vertical body member whose forward surface 10a inclines forwardly, an upper head piece 11 and a lower head piece 12 projecting from the upper and lower edges of the surface of said, vertical body member, respectively, in a transverse direction are so provided that their forward surfaces 11a, 12a are curved as if projecting forwardly, said upper head piece and said lower head piece are spaced vertically, and both side surfaces 11b, 12b of said head pieces 11, 12 are formed in flat vertical surfaces.

At the top edge and bottom edge of said vertical body member 10, a projection 13 and a recess 14 to be engaged with each other at the rear of said upper head piece 11 and lower head piece 12 are formed, respectively, and a part of wave dissipation A is composed of said vertical body member 10, upper and lower head pieces 11, 12 as well as the projection 13 and the recess 14.

At the rear edge of said vertical body member 10 a forwardly inclined forward piece 15 crossing at a right angle therewith formed in a substantially square panel shape is provided integrally therewith, further at the rear of said forward piece 15, a rear piece 16 formed in a substantially square panel shape is overlapped and said two pieces 15, 16 constitute a part of revetment B. The upper and lower end surfaces of said forward piece and rear piece 15, 16 are non-aligned and their left and right side surfaces are non-aligned, accordingly, at said part of revetment B at its upper and lower end surfaces and both side surfaces interlocking parts constituted by the upper and lower end parts and left and right ends of said forward piece and rear piece 15, 16 are formed, respectively.

At said concrete block, at both sides of said vertical body members 10, a space C surrounded by said upper and lower head pieces 11, 12 and the forward surface of said part of revetment B is formed, said space C being of use as a part of wave dissipation of which mention will be made later.

FIGS. 5 and 6 show a case wherein said concrete blocks are piled up at a surface of slope of an embankment or a revetment. In a transverse direction each side surfaces 11b, 12b of each upper and lower head pieces 11, 12 of adjoining concrete blocks contact. At the same time, at the side surfaces of adjoining parts of revetment B nonaligned parts formed by the ends of said forward and rear pieces 15, 16 positioned differently in a transverse direction are engaged with each other, said projection 13 and recess 14 positioned in opposite surfaces of each vertical body member 10 of said concrete blocks adjoining up and down are engaged with each other. Also at the upper and lower ends of the adjoining parts of revetment B nonaligned parts formed by said forward and rear pieces 15, 16 positioned differently in an up and down direction are engaged with each other, whereby when said concrete blocks are piled up, the part of revetment B of each concrete block protects a surface of slope of said embankment.

At this occasion, with concrete blocks adjoining up and down, with the projections 13 and the recesses 14 of the adjoining parts of wave dissipation, and with the interlocking parts in an up and down direction formed by said forward pieces 15 and rear pieces 16 of the parts of revetment B at concrete blocks adjoining in a left to right direction there is no danger of relative displacement taking place in either vertical or horizontal directions. Again, the contact surface of the for-ward pieces 15 and the contact surface of the rear pieces 16 of concrete blocks adjoining vertically are non-aligned vertically, while the contact surface of the forward pieces 15 and the contact surface of the rear pieces 16 at concrete blocks adjoining left to right are non-aligned horizontally therefore, then is no danger that earth and sand of an embankment or a revetment will flow out to the forward surface of the concrete block due to a wave.

Again, at a forward surface of each of the concrete blocks piled up as mentioned above, by the curved forward surfaces 11a, 12a of upper and lower head pieces 11, 12 a concave-convex surface is formed. Accordingly, a part of a wave colliding with the forward surface of said concrete block is dissipated by said concavo-convex surface, while the other part of the wave enters from the forward surface of the concrete block through the space between the upper and lower head pieces 11, 12 the space C, within which a greater part of an energy of the water wave disappears, and with the remaining force the wave collides with the forwardly inclined surface of the forward piece 15 of the part of revetment B and splashes up. However, since a greater part of an energy of the water wave has been eliminated inside said space C, the splash up of said wave is remarkably decreased, As a result, the height of the embankment or a revetment is economized, and at the same time, the returning wave is decreased, therefore, an artificial nourishment is carried out at a sandy beach, thus an embankment or a revetment is protected from destruction due to a wave.

As such, in case the concrete blocks of the present invention are piled up, they can act concurrently for wave dissipation and revetment, the construction period is shortened and the construction cost is economized.

In the foregoing, the present invention is explained with reference to one embodiment, however it goes without saying that the present invention will not be limited to such an embodiment only, but various modifications of design are possible without departing from the scope of the present invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A concrete block for use in a wall embankment for dissipating the waves of a body of water comprising:

(A) a fiat, substantially parallelepiped body member having (a) two flat surfaces on opposite sides of said block,

(b) said flat surfaces extending vertically when said block forms part of a wall, and

(0) front, rear, top and bottom edges around the periphery of said body member,

(d) said front edge inclining forwardly from top to bottom;

(B) an upper head piece and a lower head piece,

(a) each of said head pieces extending horizontally from said flat surfaces of said vertically extending body member, and

.(b) each said head piece having a curved forward surface;

(C) said top edge of said body member having an upwardly extending projection;

(D) said bottom edge of said body member having an inwardly projecting recess;

(E) a substantially square shaped forward revetment member positioned at said rear edge of said body member and extending perpendicularly to said flat surfaces; and

5 6 (F) a substantially square shaped rear revetment mem- 2. A concerete block as claimed in claim 1 wherein her at the side of said forward revetment member reeach of said head pieces has flat, vertical side surfaces. mote from said body member; (G) said forward and rear revetment members being References Cited gositioned relative to each other such that their edges 5 UNITED STATES PATENTS 0 not align in either the horizontal or vertical directions; whereby a space for dissipation of said waves 3,176,468 4/ 1965 Nagai a1 61-47 X is provided between said body member, said upper 3,379,017 4/ 1963 Kllsatake and lower head pieces and said forward revetment member. 10 JACOB SHAPIRO, Primary Examiner 

